Practice apparatus for card games



Oct. 1 9, 1937. J. GooDsoN 2,096,672

PRACTICE APPARATUS.' FOR CARD GAMES Filed June 7, 1937 Arme/wy Patented Oct. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES 1 e .'rr.1-rrv or-*FICE Jack Goodson, London, England Application June 7, 1937, Serial No. 146,948

4 Claims.

"I'hls invention relates toapparatus which may be used in practising card games such as bridge or the like and in the solving of problems based on such games.

An object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus whereby a predetermined game may be played by the user of the apparatus and whereby the users method of play may be compared with a predetermined method of play.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus comprising a recessed base member in which one or more sheets having predetermined games printed thereon may be stored and a cover member having a series of apertures therein through which the indicia on the top printed sheet may be read and provided with slide members movable to cover or uncover these apertures at will.

Various objects oi? the invention will appear from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention in which reference is made to the accompanying drawing, the novel features beim pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing Figure l'represents in plan view, one form of the improved apparatus, certain parts beit@ broken away to show the construction more clearly.

Figure 2 represents a cross-section on the line II-II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 represents in plan view a modified form of the apparatus.

Figure 4 represents a cross-section on the line IV-IV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 represents a plan view of a slider and Figure 6 represents a side elevation of the slides shown in Figure 5.

Referring to'Figures l and 2, the apparatus comprises a base member I provided 4with an upstanding rim 2 which may be integral with the base member or rigidly attached thereto. -A recess 3 is thus provided in which may be stored a number of game sheets 4.

The base member I may be constructed of any suitable material and with a thickness which gives it rigidity and enables it to be used as the strength member of the apparatus.

The rim 2 is of such a height that the recess 3 will accommodate a number of the sheets 4 in stacked relationship.

The sheets 4 are of such dimensions that the rim 2 serves to position them centrally in the recess 3.

To facilitate the removal of the sheets 4 a tab 5 of fabric or. the like vis secured to the base I near one end and extends to the outside of the base. The tab 5 rests in a, recess 6 cut in the rim 2. When the sheets 4 are in position in the recess they rest on the tab 5 and may be raised by lifting the tab thereby Vfveeiuatung their re'-` The sheets 4 have indicia printed or otherwise marked thereon ln accordance with -a predetermined problem or card game. For example, the sheet may b e marked in accordance with a predetermined bridge hand as shown inthe drawing. Indicia 5 indicating the cards held by each player are arranged parallel tothe four edges of the sheet and further indicia 6 in alignment with the indicia 5 are provided to indicate the correct or predetermined order in which the cards should be played.

Further indicia 'I for each player are provided showing the correct bid at each round of bidding.

A cover plate 8, formed of cardboard, breboard or similar material is hinged by a hinge 3| at one edge to the base I and rests on the top of the rim. This plate 8 is formed with a number of sets of apertures through which the indicia on the sheet'4 may be read.

Parallel to each edge of the cover plate 8 are arranged a set of apertures 9 through which the card indications 5 can be read, and a set of apertures I 0 in alignment with the apertures 9 through which the indicia 6 showing the order of playing the cards may be read. The apertures I0 have a slot portion II extending towards the apertures 9 but separated therefrom by the division I2. l

Apertures I3 having a slot portion I4 are provided through which the indicia 'I showing the correct bidding may be read. Further apertures I5 may also be provided through which other printed matter on ,the sheet 4 may be read. Such matter may include advertisements o r an indica' tion of a problem to be solved or the like.

The apertures may be economically produced:

by a stamping operation or may be otherwise formed.

The cover plate 8 carries sliders I6 each of which may be moved to obturate at will either one of the apertures 9 or the corresponding aperture I0. The slider I6, as shown in Figures 5 and 6 is formed from a single blank of*` cardboard, iibreboard, metalor the like and comprises obturating portions I 1, I8, guide portions lilanda handle portion 20. The guide portions I9 are bent up at right angles to the obturating portions I1, I8 and support the handle portion 20 offset from these portions I1, I8.

The sliders I6 are mounted in the cover plate 8 with the guide portions I9 in the slot II and the handle portions 2D above the plane of the cover plate. The portion I1 is slidable beneath'the cover plate to obturate an aperture 9 and the portion I8 is slidable beneath the cover plate to obturate an aperture I0, the length of the slider being such that when the aperture 9 is obturated, the aperture I0 is open and vice versa..

The mais portion n the .usals auf such dimensions that it may pass through aperture l8r when the slider is to be mounted in the cover plate, the slider being suiliciently flexible to permit of it being sprung into position. The slider I8 is formed with an upstanding ridge 2| at the end of the obturating portion I1, the ridge 2i abutting against one or other end ot the aperture 8 tolimit the movement of the slider.

Similar sliders 22 are provided wherebyy the apertures i8 may at will be obturated or opened to show the correct bid at any round of the bidding. Indications 28 may be marked on the cover plate to indicate the diiierent extents to which the slider 22 should be moved to show the bidding at the ilrst, second and succeeding rounds.

Scales 24 are marked on the cover plate 8 and a pointer` 25 pivoted at 28 may be moved over these scales to indicate the tricks won by each player.

It will be apparent that the apparatus may be arranged with a sheet printed to represent a particular game positioned in the recess l, and the sliders I6 arranged so as to cover three sets of the card indicia leaving one set exposed. The

user may then bid on the exposed hand and compare his bid, with that indicated as the correct one, by moving the slider 22 corresponding to the exposed hand. Bids on the other hands may be made lby moving sliders 22 to uncover the corresponding indicia.

When the bidding is completed, the hand representing dummy may be exposed by moving the sliders i6 and the game played through. At every stage in the game, the play oi' the user can be compared with that printed on the sheet l. Various other methods of using the board can be devised.

A modified form of the apparatus is shown in Figures 3 and 4. The base 21 has an' upstanding rim 28 of stepped formation which forms a recess 29 for the sheets 4. The step 80 in the rim 28 forms an annular shoulder on which the cover plate 8 rests, its top surfacevbeing ilush with the top of the rim 28. The-plate 8 is provided with sets of apertures and with sliders as described above with regard to Figures l and 2.

Whilst the invention has been describedabove with reference to speciiic preferred embodiments, it may have other embodiments within the spirit of the invention which is not therefore restricted to the forms described.

I claim: 1

l. A game educational apparatus including a case and a sheet to be placed within the case, the sheet being marked with card indicia of playing cards arranged in diierent hands, and further marked with a number for each card indicium of each hand, with the numbers indicating the I sure of both a card indicium and its number whereby when the card indicia of any one hand i are exposed the numbers oi.' such indicia are concealed, permitting a player to select a card for the particular play in accordancewith the Judgiiment oi the expert. v

2. A game apparatus for the educational stud! o! the playing of bridge, including a case, a sheet to be removably placed within the case and marked with the cards oi" four hands and also 10 with a number of each card indicating the proper sequence of the play of the cards oi' that hand according to expert determination, that portion oi' the case overlying the sheet having a series of slotsoi a size and arrangement to disclose each 15 card and its corresponding number, and a cover` plate for each slot mounted for movement to so restrict the exposure area of that slot as to render visible either a card or its number while preventing simultaneous visibility of both the card and 20 its number,. the numbers for the cards oi' each hand being in similar sequence and indicating the experts selected card to be played in a particular round of hands.

3. A game apparatus for the study of the play- 25 ing of the game oi bridge, including a case and a sheet to be removably placed in the case, the sheet being marked with playing card indications o1' four hands in separate hand groups, and iurther marked with a number for each card ot a 30 hand to indicate the, proper sequence of play of the cards of that hand in accordance with expert determination, the case including a cover portion to overlie the sheet formed with slots for the exposure of a particular card indication and its 35 corresponding number, and a slide cooperating with each slot and manually movable to a position to expose the card indication aligned with that slot or to a position to expose the corresponding number oi' such card indication, the 4 0 simultaneous exposure of a card indication and its corresponding number being impossible in any position of the slide.

4. A game apparatus for the study of the playing of the game of bridge, including a case hav- 45 ing a base recessed to receive a sheet and a cover 'section iltted within said recess to overliethe sheet, the sheet being marked with playing card indications oi' four hands in separate hand groups,

further marked with a number adiacent and pe- 50 cular to each card indication of each hand, and further marked with bid indications, the numbers indicating the sequence of play of each card of each hand and the bid indications indicating the proper bids in sequence for each hand as 55 both are determined by expert knowledge oi' the game, the cover section being provided with slots each having an exposure area to include one card indication and its corresponding number and with slots having an exposure area to include 60 each set of bidding indications, and a slide cooperating with each slot and' manually movable to 4control the visible exposure area of that slot, the

slides for the slots aligned with each card indication and its number beingI movable to cause 65.

visibility oi either a card indication or its corresponding number but not both at the same time, the slides `for the slots for the exposure oi' the bid indications being movable to a position to f conceal all such bid indications or to expose such 70 bid indications in sequence.

. JACK GOODSON. 

